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Monthly Archives: August 2016

The next chapter of the Pokemon XYZ Ep. 39 Arc titled, “Flare Gang Attack! The Zygarde at the Prism Tower!!” released this week. The following is a review of the episode and if you have yet to see the episode then SPOILER WARNING! (Full Episode Below)

This review is divided into 3 sections the Team Flare Attacks, Supporting Cast, and Overall Storyline.

Team Flare Attacks

This episode begins with the attack on Kalos as we are reintroduced to Zygarde forms and both opposing powers that will face off to decide the fate of Kalos. Throughout the episode you can see Team Flare members on the ground fighting with citizens and other pokemon trainers in the hopes of taking hostages. Apart from team Flare members, the appearance of Red Zygarde has caused an unknown plant tree life form to cover Lumiose City; making it difficult for civilians closer to Prism Tower to head for safety. As Satoshi and Alain explore the city in search of Marin, they are met with Team Flare members who capture Satoshi and his Pokemon. Satoshi is in disbelief that Alain in some way is connected to Team Flare’s plans of holding him hostage. Overall the attack on Lumiose in this episode is the main focus throughout as the rest of the world watches Kalos in turmoil. There aren’t many memorable fight scenes but a look into how Kalos and how the world is reacting to the situation in my opinion strengthens the emotional drive about the weight of Kalos’ fate.

Supporting Cast

The episode has most of the cast running off to rescue missions as Bonnie, Clement, and Serena head towards Punichan (Squishy) or what now has reached its Zygarde 50% form while Ash and Alain go in search of Marin. This episode also brings back the mysterious vigilante the “Blaziken Mask” and his Mega Blaziken who we all know to be Meyer. Although there is not a lot of pokemon battle action some other supporting characters in this episode to me stuck out the most for their role as an almost resistance group which will most likely play out until the finale . I’m talking about no other than Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor. I enjoyed their comradery as they joined together to fight off the plant life form trying to swallow Lumiose city. The scenes with these three in my opinion, is adding more emotional weight and preparing viewers for the big finale. Lastly, I could not leave out the comedic trio; Jessie, James, & Meowth. In the episode they continued their disguises as camera crew members as they become the viewer’s main source of information on the occurrences in Kalos. I really enjoyed the direction of this scene because they are a personification of fans who are sitting at home looking at what is unfolding before their eyes. It’s a nice touch to add importance to these characters who tend to be there for comedic relief.

Overall Storyline

Most would say, the episode is “filler” but in my opinion it’s a great episode in what it does. Although there weren’t any battles and awesome fight scenes, the focus on the response and how the world including Kalos is reacting to Team Flare’s attack is the goal. Without this set-up I feel that the finale would actually feel rushed and underdeveloped. The chapter is attempting to add emotional precedence to make a deeper connection that Kalos is indeed in trouble and needs all the help it can get whether it’s from a young pokemon trainer or from those watching from home rooting for the safety of Kalos.

The event had many other collaborators like vendors, music, and an Exhibit on Japanese Culture in no other than Little Tokyo’s Japanese American Culture & Community Center.

The event was definitely full of pokemon activities and for those wanting to learn more about Japanese culture, the community center held exhibits that highlight Japanese culture like Art, Flower Arrangements, and Traditional Fashion Attire Viewings.

In relation to Pokemon there were activities for all ages which included a pokemon scavenger hunt which had people go to different Little Tokyo landmarks where you could strike a pose and take some great pictures.

There was also a Smash Bro’s Tournament, Pokemon Mini 3DS Tournament, and Art Contest. I personally participated in their 3DS Pokemon Tournament. I definitely did not make it far in the tournament but it was fun to meet a good number of other pokemon fans who love the series. They were really welcoming and great to talk to. People are definitely not shy when it comes to talking about all the new pokemon that await in Alola.

While speaking with some of the tournament participants, I asked them about how they felt about the introduction of Alola forms and many were happy with the new fresh take on the old original Gen 1 Pokemon. The only complaint across the board from the fans I spoke to was Alolan Exeggutor but laughed saying that at least we have so many funny memes about its long neck design.

The next thing that I enjoyed from the event was the Pokemon Swag! There was pokemon booth selling PokemonGo related merchandise like pin buttons, stickers, T-shirts, hats, and cool Team Legendary Bird Key/phone chains to represent your team. All the merch was reasonably priced. I personally went for the pins to add flare to my pokemon lanyard.

At the plaza event there wasn’t any food but don’t fret, the area of Little Tokyo is full local Japanese and Asian restaurants to choose from. If you happen to be in the area, I suggest Weller Court where there are two floors full of shops and restaurants in a central location. It is relatively close to the Japanese Community Center which only took a five minute walk from where the PokemonGo event was happening. A little PokemonGo within the 5 minutes to get food awarded me with a bunch of Meowth.

I personally opted for the specialty market Murukai which has many Japanese and Asian products. I like the variety of products and many times sell items that can only be found at stores like Murukai that target the Japanese market. I grabbed myself some pre-packaged sushi and some delicious peach green tea. If the market is not your ideal choice be sure to look inWeller Court which ranges from Ramen Houses, sushi spots, and fusion cuisines.

Lastly, if you are a growing family, the event had pokemon puzzle games, pokemon 3Ds tournaments, pokemon ball toss, and the art contest. Many families that came for the Nisei Week celebration also took in the festivities of PokemonGo. Overall the event was fun and welcoming. The variety of activities was a plus because I feel it targeted different aspects of peoples interest like art, gaming, and culture.

Be sure to check out the Little Tokyo Anime Club. I have included a link to their website at the bottom of this article. They generally meet on Tuesdays from 4pm-7pm at the Little Tokyo Library in Los Angeles. Since the club encompasses all Anime, their club community enjoys a variety of anime beyond just pokemon so you will probably find something you like. Some of their meetings include meets-up, gaming, trading card games, discussions, and event planning for the Anime Community.

The Pokemon Kalos League finals have concluded with the release of Pokemon XYZ episode 38, titled Kalos League Victory! Satoshi’s Greatest Decisive Battle! Be advised that this review will include a summary and discussion of the episode so SPOILER WARNING.

This review is broken down into five sections as follows: The Battle, Music, Animation, Supporting Cast and Final Thoughts.

The Battle

The battle was indeed a nail biter. Both Alain and Ash fought intelligently and did not hold back their Pokémon’s full potential. During this season, Ash’s character development sky rocketed like it never has since starting his journey from Pallet Town. It is definitely showcased during his fight with Alain. One scene that I want to highlight from the obvious improved animation fight sequences is his use of Goodra to bring the pressure and advantageously set up his Greninja. Goodra uses Rain Dain and its bulk to really wear-down Bisharp’s onslaught of attacks and redirect the damage back. At first Rain Dance works to keep Goodra from the possibility of being affected by status conditions during the match, however, Ash’s choice of opening with Rain Dance has a double purpose when Greninja goes up against Bisharp and finishes it off with a boosted water shuriken due to the rain. As a viewer I really enjoyed seeing how Ash throughout the season and even now makes intelligent choices during battle instead of relying on the usual motif of having him stand there hoping that his attacks make contact. Ash is thinking ahead, intelligently, and changing the way he battles to the current situation. In summary, the Ash that we have been waiting 20 years to finally see if you have been with Ash since his journey began in Pallet Town. This episode makes you want to truly root for Ash although he is up against a worthy opponent.

Soundtrack & Music

The soundtrack of the Pokemon XYZ Arc is among one of my favorite and in my opinion, the best in the series thus far. They have a grandiose feel to them and to no surprise sound amazing when orchestrated live like they have been through the Pokemon Symphonic Evolutions Concert tour. The battle scenes are already great on their own but the music choices for this episode are just right; making the already tense match mean so much more. The soundtracks in the episode really made me believe that the stakes are truly high. It set the mood to expect surprises and hopefully an epic finale to the Kalos League. Once the finals are done, the music and tension is ramped up even more with the abrupt beginning of looming trouble in Lumiose City as Team Flare puts their evil plan in motion.

Animation

Since the premiere of the Pokemon XY season, there has been a noticeable difference to the series; the animation and artistic direction. The artist in charge of this particular generation really brought the type of animation like that of Naruto and other popular anime. Fans received the change with great positivity. While watching this episode the art and battle sequences were animated quite well with little to no stock images from previous episodes like so many other animated series tend to rely on. The battle scenes in the episode are crisp, well directed, and invoke a lot of emotion which I feel made this episode a success and will probably continue until the season finale before Ash goes onto the Alola Region. In short, this episode and many others feel like you’re watching one of the many Pokemon movie installments we get with every new generation. I know since there are only a few episodes left, the series will most likely continue this animation style that stands up closely to the theatrical animated movies.

Supporting Cast

Although the supporting companion characters in the Pokemon series tend to take the sidelines when Ash enters a league, I found Bonnie, Clement, Serena and other rivals of the group a perfect vessel to reconfirm that this episode was truly something to spectate in the 20 years of Pokemon. The characters exactly express that same excitement, enthusiasm, and our doubts about the outcome of a situation. During the finals, my favorite supporting characters are Bonnie and Sawyer because of their awareness of what we all know is coming with Ash Greninja and other pokemon match-ups. Throughout the season Ash’s companions had their time to shine and their highlighted episodes did not feel “filler” because it showed these characters developing while still carrying on the plotline. I always like when Bonnie screams from the stands “ASH-GRENINJA” when Greninja changes forms because it makes me feel like I’m not the only once seeing the awesome transformation. Lastly, there are the pokemon of course. Other than Greninja’s performance, I really enjoyed Goodra’s fight with Bisharp. Goodra definitely set the mood for the finale in my opinion when Greninja finally faced off with Mega Charizard.

Final Thoughts

The episode makes all the stops with the animation, music, and character involvement. Yet, it cannot escape the main complaint of the series; will Ash be victorious? In my opinion, Ash never gets the pay-off he deserves for his long journey. I am not talking about whether or not Ash wins but instead the never ending feeling that he always gets the short end of the stick when he wins big. We get it already, always press on even in the face of failure and I know this is mainly targeted as a children’s cartoon but I feel that there are definite creative ways to give Ash the pay-off while not ending his goal of becoming a pokemon master. I feel if Ash’s goal was to become a League Champion then there is no other way around it, but to me Pokemon Master encompasses more than just a trophy and fancy title. He is trying to master all that comes with being a pokemon trainer, I would not be surprised if Ash still choose to move onto another league even if he has become a champion from a different region. Masters goes beyond one league.

The leaks keep coming out of the wood works!More Pokemon Sun & Moon News drops throughout the evening. Although still unconfirmed, Serebii.net is reporting that there are indeed new leaks that were suppose to be part of an official Pokemon International trailer that would showcase 1 new pokemon, New Alolan Form, and game play footage of the previously revealed Yowashi and Pyukumuku.

The trailer is still set to release on Aug 11th at 8:00 p.m PT. Here is a quick highlight of what information THE JOHTO PRESS has been able to find respectively to the upcoming trailer. Although these leaks have come out, there is a still a chance that the trailer holds more new information upon its official release.

First we have Raichu Alola Form which is a surfing Raichu that uses its tail as a surfing board of sorts. Alola form Raichu gains the Psychic typing along side electric. Raichu also receives a new ability, Surge Surfer which doubles its speed when the field is surrounded by electricity.

Next, we have a new pokemon called Morelull which is Grass/Fairy type with the abilities Illuminate and Effect Spore. The pokemon resembles wild mushrooms that are generally found in forest and grassy plains.This far this is all that is known of Morelull.

Going back to Yowashi, the fish school pokemon, we now have its official English translation called Wishiwashi. There is gameplay footage of Wishiwashi’s ability known as Schooling. Claims say that after a certain level, Wishiwashi can change from its Solo form into its Schooling form which resembles a school of fish that band together to become an enormous fish pokemon.

Then we have Pyukumuku the sea cucumber/urchin pokemon. It is said that its extends its inner organs that form fists to rid off enemies. There are some speculations that this pokemon will gain the fire typing once it evolves because its mouth resembles the symbol for fire which would make this pokemon a fire and water type which is among the most unique typings of this generation.

Lastly we get some more images of the evil Team Skull from Pokemon Sun and Moon. The images may reveal some backstory as to why the team is evil. Some sources say that some team members were rejected trial captains who did not make the cut.